Foreign tourist arrivals up 7,6% so far in 2002

FOREIGN tourist arrivals to South Africa have grown by 7,6% in the first four months of 2002 to 2,1 million. The biggest growth markets from January to the end of April 2002 have been Botswana (54 948), Zimbabwe (43 266), the United Kingdom (29 768), Germany (14 811) and Swaziland (14 443). And in April the United States market showed growth after a drop in March with arrivals up 3,4% to 12 934. The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, said that the figures for the first four months of 2002 underscored the positive effects that the global change in perception about South Africa had brought since last year. "What is significant is that we are not only showing strong growth of 18,4% or 66 559 more tourists out of Europe up to the end of April, but we have also had good growth in Asia (7% to 52 229). The two strongest players are China and India. The increases out of Europe and Asia alone are the equivalent of more than 310 more full jumbo jets flying into South Africa." The total overseas arrivals to South Africa to April 2002 have grown 13,4% (69 428) to 589,168 while arrivals from Africa for the same period have grown to 1,4 million (up 5,3% on the same period in 2001). (Miguel de Sousa)